Drink-driver stopped after driving without lights

A drink-driver who was spotted by police driving the wrong way down a road with no lights has been banned from the road.

Chesterfield magistrates’ court heard on Tuesday, May 9, how Tara Nadene Ellis, 35, of Bank Street, Brimington, Chesterfield, was spotted by police on Racecourse Road and St John’s Road before she was stopped on Dunston Road, Chesterfield.

Prosecuting solicitor Becky Allsop said: “It was 4.20am, on April 22, when officers on Racecourse Road saw a vehicle heading towards them with no lights on before it went the wrong way down St John’s Road.”

Police stopped the Peugeot 307 on Dunston Road and said the defendant smelled of alcohol and had glazed eyes and was repeating herself.

Ellis registered 73microgrammes of alcohol in 100millilitres of breath when the legal limit is 35microgrammes.

She pleaded guilty to exceeding the alcohol drink-drive limit.

Defence solicitor Serena Simpson said Ellis had been in “a situation” with her ex-partner and she had been under the influence of alcohol and had “run away”.

Ms Simpson added: “She made a decision to get into the car and drive in the manner she did but she is ashamed because she’s never driven like this before.”

Ellis is a beauty therapist, according to Ms Simpson, so a driving ban is expected to result in her losing work.

Ms Simpson added that mum-of-two Ellis also looks after her father, who has dementia, and she will struggle if she is no longer able to drive him around.

Magistrates fined Ellis £120 and ordered her to pay £85 costs and a £30 victim surcharge.

She was also disqualified from driving for 20 months but her ban could be reduced by 22 weeks if she completes a drink-drive rehabilitation course.

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